This invention pertains generally to apparatus for making crusts and more particularly to a device for forming a crust in a container from a mass of crust material placed in the container and thereafter introducing a filling into the container.
Food products having crusts along the bottom and/or side walls thereof are produced both commercially in large quantities for retail use and sale and domestically in smaller quantities for individual or more limited use. Such products may be baked, fried, frozen or otherwise processed and may comprise a variety of materials. One frequently preferred type of crust for such products is a so-called "crumb crust" which comprises a mixture of crumbs (e.g., graham cracker crumbs or crushed grain flakes) and a binder (e.g., shortening) that enables the mixture to be worked and to maintain a shape imposed thereon.
Examples of devices heretofore provided for use in the formation of such crusts are found in my previously issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,359, 3,902,837, and 4,040,734. The present invention provides a device which is particularly suitable for high speed and multiple head commercial applications, but which can also be used individually or domestically.